By Steve Wittich
David Malukas will start on the pole for a Pro Mazda race for the third time this season. Flipping the script from yesterday’s qualifying, it will be Rinus VeeKay that starts outside the young American.
Championship leader Parker Thompson will start on the outside of row two with Robert Megennis on his inside.
A total of nine drivers turned laps under the track record set in qualifying yesterday by VeeKay. All nine of those drivers were within a half-second of Malukas. The top ten drivers were all within one-second of Malukas.
During the first half of the qualifying session, it was Oliver Askew and David Malukas who held the provisional pole.
At the halfway mark it was David Malukas with a lap of 75.673 that was at the top of the timesheet. Megennis, Askew, Robb, Cunha, Drugovich, Soler-Obel, Thompson, VeeKay and Gutierrez were in the top ten.
The entire field came in for fresh Cooper Tire rubber and adjustments before heading out to try and improve their lap times.
With eight minutes left, Thompson was the first driver to improve. That time of 75.136 held for three minutes before Malukas jumped the Canadian.
Megennis was the first driver to make a run at the BN Racing rookie, falling only three-hundredths shy of the Chicago, Ill. native.
With just over two minutes remaining, Malukas upped the ante, turning a lap under 75 seconds.
Once again, the field came after the 16-year-old. But, the only driver that came close was VeeKay.
Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Unofficial Qualifying Race #2
RANK | CAR NO. | DRIVER | QUICK LAP | TEAM | DIFFERENCE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 79 | David Malukas | 1:14.858 | BN Racing | –.—- |
2 | 2 | Rinus VeeKay | 1:14.939 | Juncos Racing | 0.0811 |
3 | 9 | Robert Megennis | 1:15.082 | Juncos Racing | 0.2240 |
4 | 90 | Parker Thompson | 1:15.136 | Exclusive Autosport | 0.2784 |
5 | 1 | Carlos Cunha | 1:15.174 | Juncos Racing | 0.3167 |
6 | 3 | Oliver Askew | 1:15.299 | Cape Motorsports | 0.4419 |
7 | 82 | Sting Ray Robb | 1:15.355 | Team Pelfrey | 0.4978 |
8 | 27 | Mathias Soler-Obel | 1:15.400 | RP Motorsport Racing | 0.5425 |
9 | 10 | Felipe Drugovich | 1:15.403 | RP Motorsport Racing | 0.5455 |
10 | 81 | Andres Gutierrez | 1:15.844 | Team Pelfrey | 0.9867 |
11 | 8 | Nikita Lastochkin | 1:16.112 | Cape Motorsports | 1.2544 |
12 | 78 | Kris Wright | 1:16.183 | BN Racing | 1.3257 |
13 | 12 | Moises de la Vara | 1:16.500 | DEForce Racing | 1.6425 |
14 | 83 | Charles Finelli | 1:19.729 | Fatboy Racing | 4.8710 |
The first of two Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Mid-Ohio Grand Prix races of the weekend is scheduled to get the green flag at 4:10 PM this afternoon. Juncos Racing rookie Rinus VeeKay will start on the pole with David Malukas starting on the outside.